Cat Hoarder Symptoms

The "crazy cat lady" is an object of frequent mockery in popular culture, but cat hoarding is no joke. Cat hoarders suffer from a mental illness that makes them feel compelled to hide away unreasonable numbers of felines, often with tragic results for both the cats and the hoarder. If you suspect cat hoarding in your neighborhood, report it to your local animal protection enforcement agency. Your tip may help both the cats and the owner.

  1. More Cats Than You Can Care For

    • According to the Hoarding of Animal Research Consortium, "having more than the typical number of companion animals" is one of the four main signs of animal hoarding. Having an unusual number of cats does not make a hoarder alone, however. Hoarding is different from sheltering, which can also lead to someone having lots of cats. A hoarder is unable to provide for the care of her cats. They may be malnourished or under-watered, dirty, sick or injured from overcrowding. In many case, the animals may die from the poor care they are receiving. A hoarder has a troubled psychology which makes her desire to control many cats but unable to provide for their care.

    Dirty, Cluttered Living Spaces

    • A central feature of any type of hoarding is a dirty, cluttered living space. A hoarder's home can be anywhere from difficult to navigate to unlivable, but with animal hoarders, the scene can be especially grim. A cat hoarder's house is likely to have quite a bit of animal waste lying around and the smell of too many animals in too small a space. Many animal hoarders also hoard inanimate objects, so the house may also be cluttered with trash, unsorted piles and other objects.

    Denial, Isolation and Secretiveness

    • Hoarders tend to have poor insights into their own actions or motivations. They will believe that they are caring adequately for their animals despite all evidence to the contrary. They may cut themselves off socially from other people and feel persecuted by outsiders who don't "understand" their hoarding behavior. They may be in poor health themselves, unable to care for their own bodies any more than they can for their cats. Then again, hoarders may hide their behavior well and live a double life, appearing relatively normal from the outside.